A collaborative research group led by Associate Professor Koji Matsuo of Yamaguchi University found that patients with bipolar disorder have more volume in two sites (dorsolateral frontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex) that are more closely related to emotions and thoughts than patients with depression. It was revealed by MRI examination that it was small.Hiroshima University, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Hokkaido University, and Texas University (USA) also participated in the research group.
Depression causes mental abnormalities such as depressed mood, lack of motivation / interest, and decreased concentration, as well as physical abnormalities such as sleep disorders and loss of appetite.Depression and bipolar disorder (manic depression) are typical illnesses that cause depression, and because the symptoms are similar despite different treatment methods, an objective index (biomarker) that distinguishes between these two illnesses. Was sought after.
This study is a multicenter MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) study, and the participants in Japan are depressed bipolar disorder patients (158), depressed depressed patients (596), and healthy subjects (777). A total of 1531 people.For all, MRI images of two parts of the frontal lobe, dorsolateral frontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex, which are deeply related to emotions and thoughts, were analyzed.The dorsolateral frontal cortex is thought to be involved in the control of emotions and executive function, and the anterior cingulate cortex is thought to be involved in the control of emotions and cognition.
As a result, it was found that the volume of the two sites of the bipolar disorder group was smaller than that of the depression group.It was also found that the bipolar disorder group and the depression group had a smaller anterior cingulate cortex on the right side and a wider frontal cortex than the healthy group.Furthermore, a reexamination by US participants gave similar results.
Our results help clarify the difference in how the brain works between bipolar disorder and depression.In the future, MRI examination will enable objective discrimination and diagnosis, and it is expected to be a hint for the development of treatment methods to restore these sites.
Paper information:[Cerebral Cortex] Distinctive neuroanatomical corresponding for depression in bipolar disorder versus major depressive disorder
